Poll by Kettering and Wellingborough MPs reveals 80 per cent of those who responded want to leave European Union

Neil Pickford

A referendum in north Northamptonshire has revealed that 81 per cent of those who responded want to leave the European Union.

Wellingborough MP Peter Bone, Kettering MP Philip Hollobone and Corby and East Northamptonshire Conservative Parliamentary election candidate Tom Pursglove have been holding a ballot on whether the people of north Northamptonshire want to remain in the European Union, or leave.

In the biggest vote on this issue since the 1975 nationwide referendum, 100,000 ballot papers were distributed across the Corby and East Northamptonshire, Kettering, and Wellingborough constituencies.

The question on the ballot paper was: “Should the United Kingdom be a member of the European Union?”

The result was 2,725 (18.9 per cent) wanted to remain in the European Union and 11,706 (81.1) per cent wanted to leave. There were 150 spoilt ballot papers.

They have now written to the Prime Minister with the results of the poll.

In a joint statement, the three Conservative politicicans said: “It is clear from the result of the ballot, that here in north Northamptonshire, there is now a clear majority of people who want to leave the EU. It is also clear from the 14 581 number of votes cast, that there is a real appetite for an in/out referendum.

“All three of us are pledged to vote to leave the European Union superstate.

“In our letter to the Prime Minister, we have made it clear to him that, if we are returned as Members of Parliament at the General Election in May, we will only support a Government that promises an EU in/out referendum by the end of 2017 – indeed, this mirrors the words of the Prime Minister who has said ‘I will not become prime minster unless I can guarantee that we can hold that referendum’.

“In other words, if events demanded it and there was not an overall Conservative majority, we would not support a coalition agreement that did not include an EU Referendum, no later than by the end of 2017.

“Of course, it is only the Conservative Party that guarantees an in/out vote and that is why the three of us are working flat-out to return David Cameron as Prime Minister and the head of a Conservative majority government.

“We really do appreciate the help of all those who delivered the ballots across the three constituencies and all those who took the time to vote.”